I'm translating a 30-page text into English. In general, it's going well, but there are a few words/terms I'm not sure of.
I wonder if anyone here can help with translations of the words/terms on the left-hand side:

- Kanton-Abteilung Handelsschule (Can I say 'the canton's Business School?)
- Gespanen - "Da ich alle meine Gespanen im Dorf hatte" (I translated it as 'buddies', but don't feel confident about it.)
- Dipl. Ing. Emch (Can I simply say "engineer"? I don't know what Emch is. It's not the person's name.)
- Bleuen Vogels - "gingen wir zusammen ins Corso zum Gastspiel des Bleuen Vogels" (I assume this refers to a group of entertainers. Translate as 'Pale-blue Birds'?)
- And now to translate Wagner's "Mit Eifer hab ich mich der Studien beflissen": can I say "I've pursued my studies with passion"?
- Entwurzelten - "Erinnerungen eines Entwurzelten" (I don't want to say "one who was uprooted", as it sounds clumsy. Any suggestions for this?)
- stigelsinnig - "eine Arbeit, die so... monoton war, dass eine andere dabei "stigelsinnig" geworden waere". Can I translate this as something like "would have been driven mad"?
- Schliff und Comment - "um Sprachen und den "Schliff und Comment" zu lernen - wie er es nannte"
- Stuendlern
- deutschen Internierten - (German recruits?)
- Karusselweib - "die Mutter is ja nur so ein Karusselweib"
- "Isch niemegt diheim vo chchgischliche Gmeind?" and "O vegeckt"
- Tausenguldenkraut - The name of this herb isn't in my dictionaries
- Gefroerlig - "Ich war klein, wog 35 kg, war ein "Gefroerlig"
- Nuesslissalat
- Baelchli

Any assistance much appreciated!
Thanks.

Donna

All I can help you with is the nuesslisalat. Not quite sure what the english translation is though. You might not even need to translate it, as a search revealed nothing.




It's great, IMHO.

I think it's called Lamb's Lettuce, isn't it?

Apparently, it's also called Mache.

Thanks for the picture, chemgoddess.

I traced it back to the German Feldsalat and then found that it's "lamb's lettuce" in English.

So, one word down and several more to go.

Donna

If we each do one, you'll get there eventually.
I'll go now that the relatively easy ones are still open:
Tausendgüldenkraut = Centaurium erythraea [scientific name] = (European) Centaury [vernacular, english name]

Thanks, konijn and chiguy. Apparently we all posted at the same time!

Donna

Karusselweib - no direct version in English the nearest I can come up with is show woman or fairground woman.


Edit; after double checking and on reading Eastenders reply, it is indeed a derogatory term that relates back to the people who travelled around working on fairs and were not highly regarded (my wife's version anyway)

- Gespanen - "Da ich alle meine Gespanen im Dorf hatte" (I translated it as 'buddies', but don't feel confident about it.)

'Buddies' or 'mates' would be correct i think

- Dipl. Ing. Emch (Can I simply say "engineer"? I don't know what Emch is. It's not the person's name.)

Are you sure it says EMCH and not ETH?
Emch is a chemical enteprise so I think it's a bit funny to have this in a title. Whereas ETH would mean the person has the titel of an engineer that studied at the EIDGENOESSISCHEN TECHNISCHEN HOCHSCHULE and is an engineer ( Ing) with a diploma ( dipl)

- Bleuen Vogels - "gingen wir zusammen ins Corso zum Gastspiel des Bleuen Vogels" (I assume this refers to a group of entertainers. Translate as 'Pale-blue Birds'?)
Corso could be a Cinema in Zürich as I checked the BLAUE VOGEL is a film featuring Ava Gardner....
http://www.filmevona-z.de/filmsuche.cfm?wert=52184&sucheNach=titel&CT=1

A Gastspiel is a single gig out of a tour for example if the Circus comes to town, then its also a Gastspiel,but can be just as well used for a visit to a cinema,though it's very old usage of this word.


- stigelsinnig - "eine Arbeit, die so... monoton war, dass eine andere dabei "stigelsinnig" geworden waere". Can I translate this as something like "would have been driven mad"?

Yes you can,stigelisinnig or stifelisinnig are swiss german terms to describe that one is about to loose their minds, getting mad or simply grumpy.


- Stuendlern

This term was used in the EMMENTAL VALLEY first to describe people who were not members of the national churches ( catholic or evangelic).It came into existence,becuase th epeople split from the churches and visited each other at their homes for BIBELSTUNDEN and holding their own services.

- deutschen Internierten - (German recruits?)

German internees,this were POW's who were living in camps in Switzerland as well as in other countries

- Karusselweib - "die Mutter is ja nur so ein Karusselweib"
Not very charming term to describe someone, one thinks belongs to the rabble / is vulgar

- "Isch niemegt diheim vo chchgischliche Gmeind?" and "O vegeckt"
Could this be : Isch niemer deheim vo dr christliche Gmein?
Then it translates to: Is nobody at home from the christian community?

- Tausenguldenkraut - The name of this herb isn't in my dictionaries
Centaurium minus (syn. Centaurium centaurium, C. erythraea, C. umbellatum, Erythraea centaurium);

- Gefroerlig - "Ich war klein, wog 35 kg, war ein "Gefroerlig"

Gfrüürli in my dialect ( or Zh dialect the way you wrote it) means someone who shivers easily and feels often cold
I was small , only weighed 35 kilos and always felt cold,could be one of the possible translations

- Nuesslissalat
MMMMHH,one my fave salads and in season now, when I translated my recipes I,always used the term Lambs salad for it

- Baelchli
Baelchli doesn't ring a bell, but BAECHLI does, this would mean a brooklet/stremlet/brook ,if it's a bigger one


Cheers and HTH

EE

Thanks so much, eastenders and cch alien. This is all very helpful.

One more to throw into the mix: Have any of you heard of the children's game Reigen der Zwerglein? "Reigen" means 'hands around' or 'ring around', so could possibly refer to the English game Ring around the Rosie, though "Zwerglein" (little dwarf, I presume) doesn't fit in here.

Donna

seems like EastEnders already nailed it

one that's left: I have never before heard the term "Schliff und Comment". Is commont pronounced the french way here?

If so, I could mean something like 'to learn how to behave'

Schliff/schleiffen is sometimes used either for 'to polish' or in a more colloquial sense to teach someone (with rather strict means), like in a bootcamp, for example.

I'm not familiar with the term "Reigen der Zwerglien". Reigen basically just means round dance.

The only similar term I know is "Ringelreigen" (Ringelpiez in Germany). Which is a children's game/dance

Lol I was just about writing to you about that

I am just chuckling at the image in my head about a karussellweib being a trophy wife LOLOLOL

Thanks, Suermel. I now know what to do with the term.

Donna

This doesn't ring a bell at all, the closest I can come up with is RINGELREIHE;Where the children form a circle and sing the song along to it, and making the appropriate movements along to it too.

It could also be a description of a school play or a simple self choreographed Zwergentanz .

have you got more indepth description to part with?
maybe the whole german sentence in wich this expression is embeded?

Regarding "Karusselweib", I'm wondering whether I could say "painted pony".
It does fit in nicely with the notion of a carousel and the highly painted and decorated horses. The context ïs a conversation between two men, in which one says, "Yes, Olga is definitely a sweet and good girl, but her mother is such a painted pony!"

Eastenders, the context re Bleuen Vogels is "...jeden Winter gingen wir einmal zusammen ins Corso zum Gastspiel des Blauen Vogels..." (Sorry, I misspelled it as Bleuen in my original post.) Because it appears the action was carried out every year (for three years) I presumed the performance was theatrical or musical.

Donna

EastEnders, here's the context:

1913 wurde das neue Schulhaus eingeweiht - Ich erinnere mich noch sehr gut an den Reigen der Zwerglein, der von den Schulbuben gespielt wurde.

If it's a game that was popular at the turn of that century, it may no longer be in fashion, at least under that name.

Donna

Yup in this case , I think it could be a theatrical production,but in olden days it could also be that a film was shown repetively,e.g. along the lines of 'same procedure as every year '
Another thought cropped up, could it be 'Der blaue Engel' , which is a theatrical and muscial production................

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Angel

isn't 'Blauer Vogel' a character in the Opera "Dornröschen" (sleeping beauty)?

You could, but you wouldn't carry over the meaning of Karusselweib. Unless there's some hidden usage of "painted pony" I'm not familiar with.